


Undo Ordinary

by curly184



Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-31
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-04-05 03:31:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19040269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/curly184/pseuds/curly184
Summary: “How’d you do this?” Eugene asks.“Trying to open a tin.  To feed his cat.”  Lewis replies, pointing with his free hand to the tall red haired man who is walking towards them.“He’s not my cat,” the redhead replies.“He started feeding the cat,” Lewis says, looking at Eugene, “then he moved out and the damn cat kept hanging around.  And he won’t take the cat with him, Doc.”“He’s not my cat,” the redhead says again.OrLewis cuts his hand and ends up in hospital where he is treated by Doctor Eugene Roe.





	1. Chapter 1

“Eugene?” Renee calls to him as he walks towards the locker room.  He sighs and turns around, knowing he’s not leaving the hospital just yet, despite his shift finishing an hour ago.  But he can’t say no to Renee, no matter how much he wants to go home.

Renee holds up a patient chart, “Before you go?  Sutures, bed five?”  She’s smiling at him; she also knows Eugene can’t say no to her.  He shakes his head and frowns as he takes the patient chart from her; but they both know he isn’t really protesting.  He glances through the chart as he makes his way across the ER to where his new patient is waiting.

“Eugene?” Renee calls again.

He turns around just in time to catch the chocolate bar she tosses to him and he smiles as he puts it in his pocket.  Eugene Roe can always be bribed with chocolate, and Renee is shameless in exploiting this particular weakness.  Not that Eugene is complaining, and she seems to have an endless supply of the good stuff – not the crappy Heresy’s stuff that has no right calling itself chocolate – the _really_  good Belgian chocolate, rich and creamy and just the right amount of sweet.

Eugene makes his way over to the man waiting in bed five.  Lewis Nixon, according to his chart.  Eugene immediately notices how good looking the man is and feels his mouth go dry when Lewis smiles at him and casts an appraising look his direction.  He’s suddenly very aware that he's at the end of a 36 hour shift and how scruffy and tired he looks, rumpled scrubs, messy hair, dark circles under tired, red eyes. Lewis on the other hand might be the most gorgeous man Eugene has ever seen.  Beautiful brown eyes, dark, perfect looking hair, perfect five o’clock shadow and his voice is just the right amount of rough to be sexy.  And, god, that smirk. He’s dressed in a navy blue suit and a crisp, white shirt, unbuttoned at the collar with his tie loosened.  Eugene can tell from the cut and how perfectly the suit fits the man’s body that it is expensive. Probably more expensive than all the suits he has ever owned combined.

Eugene swallows and introduces himself to Lewis Nixon, “I’m Doctor Roe, you mind if I take a look?” he gestures to the man’s injured hand.

“Lewis Nixon – Lew,” the man says as he holds his bandaged hand out towards Eugene.  Eugene gently removes the bandage and begins examining Lew’s hand.  There is a nasty gash running just below his knuckles, it’s not bleeding anymore, and has been very well cleaned by a nurse or an intern.  It just needs a couple of sutures and a clean dressing.

“How’d you do this?” Eugene asks, curious.

“Trying to open a tin.  To feed _his_ cat.”  Lewis replies, pointing with his free hand to the tall, red haired man who is walking towards them.

“He’s not my cat,” the redhead replies.

“He started feeding the cat,” Lewis says, looking at Eugene, “then he moved out and refused to take it with him.  And the damn cat just keeps hanging around, what am I supposed to do, Doc?"

“He’s not my cat,” the redhead says again.

Eugene smiles, listening to the good natured teasing between the pair as he sutures Lew’s hand and finds himself wondering if they are a couple.  They have obviously lived together at one point, although the redhead – Dick – has recently moved out.  They are comfortable with each other, there is no sign of any tension or unease between them and Eugene finds himself hoping that they are just friends and that Lewis is single.  He knows it’s a silly thing to hope, in the unlikely event that Lewis is single, someone so good looking and charming would hardly be interested in him.

“These will need to come out in a week.” Eugene tells Lewis, as he wraps his hand in a clean bandage.  “You can come back here or go wherever is easiest for you, it don’t matter.”

“You hear that, Nix?” Dick says, “That means no DIY job in the kitchen with a paring knife.”

“I didn’t have time to go back to the hospital last time. And anyway, I learnt my lesson after this needed to be re-stitched.” He points to his forehead where Eugene can make out a faded, ragged scar near the man’s hairline.

“I won’t even ask,” Eugene says with a soft laugh, “but your friend is right.  No DIY job.”

“Okay, Doc.” Lewis says with an almost flirtatious smile.

Eugene watches the two men leave, discussing the cat and their plans for the evening and finds himself hoping that he’ll be working in to the ER when Lewis comes back in to have his stitches removed.  He cleans up and heads in the direction of the locker room for a second time. 


	2. Chapter 2

He’s in a bar one evening with Babe and Spina, when he notices a tall redhead leaning against the bar.

He looks familiar, but Eugene can’t place him and eventually gives up, deciding the man must have been a patient in the hospital at one point.  It’s only when another man joins him, who he recognises as Lewis, the good-looking man who came into the ER with a hand laceration a few weeks ago, that Eugene is able to place the redhead. 

He tries to concentrate on the story Babe is telling about someone he and Spina know from Philly, taking his cues from Spina and laughing in what he hopes are the right places, but he feels himself blush as Lewis Nixon makes his way through the bar towards him.

“Doctor Roe,” Lewis greets him with a smile, “nice to see you again.”

“You too, Lew,” he smiles shyly, “how’s your hand?”

Lew laughs, “Impressive!  Do you remember all your patients?”

“Only the good looking ones,” Babe pipes up and Eugene feels his cheeks flush again.

Lew insists on buying Eugene a drink. With a pointed look at Eugene, Spina asks Lew and Dick to join them.  It turns out, Dick is originally from a small town in Pennsylvania where Spina’s aunt used to live.  As the three Pennsylvania natives chat about the various merits of their home state, Eugene and Lew talk quietly.  Eugene tries not to focus on the warmth he can feel where Lew’s leg is pressed against his thigh, or how Lew lightly touches his arm as they talk. He's not a particularly tactile person, he rarely touches other people, aside from to reassure anxious patients or relatives. And other people rarely touch him, seeming to sense it makes him uncomforrable. To his surprise, he finds he doesn't at all mind Lew touching him. 

“So where are you from?” Lew asks, “You’re not from Philly with that accent.”

“Louisiana, half Cajun” Eugene replies with a soft smile.

“What brought you to Jersey?”

“Residency,” he answers, “I met Heffron at college, he moved here shortly after I did, and Ralph works at the hospital.  Coincidentally, they grew up a few streets away from each other and know a lot of the same people.”

“Small world,” Lew replies, knocking back the last of his whisky.

“What do you work at?” Eugene asks, noting again that Lew and Dick are both well dressed in expensive suits.  Lawyers, if Eugene had to guess, or maybe for some government agency.

“Data management and cyber security, I’ll spare you the boring details," Lew grins as he gets up to go to the bar to order another round of drinks.  Eugene follows him, under the pretence of helping to carry the drinks, but in truth he already misses the feeling of Lew’s leg pressing against his and he doesn’t want their conversation to end.

“When does your residency finish?” Lew asks as they wait for the barman to pour their drinks – two pints of beer for Babe and Spina, double whisky – neat – for Lew and an orange juice for Dick.  Lew asks the bartender for a straw and one of those little umbrellas for Dick's drink, smiling to himself like it’s hilarious. Lew convinces Eugene to swap the southern rum he's been drinking for most of his adult life for Vat 69, the finest blend of whisky known to man, apparently. Even though he knows mixing drinks never ends well, Eugene can't seem to resist Lewis Nixon's charm and agrees to a whisky and coke. 

“This is my last year,” Eugene says, answering Lew's earlier question.

“Any plans for after?”

“Nothing yet, hopefully a fellowship.”  _Hopefully somewhere warmer,_ he thinks to himself, shivering at the thought of the colder weather that isn't too far away.  While New Jersey is not without it's good points, the winters are hell on earth and Eugene would love to be back living in the delicious heat of Louisiana or California.  But competition for fellowships is fierce and Eugene knows he can’t be picky if he’s fortunate enough to be offered one.

He spends the rest of the night enjoying the flirtatious looks Lew gives him and the feeling of Lew’s hand resting on his knee under the table where the others can’t see as they continue talking. Eventually, Spina announces he needs to leave since he has an early start in the morning.  When Eugene stands up and the room spins a little, he says a silent prayer of thanks that he isn’t working tomorrow. He didn't think he'd drank that much, but now that he thinks about it, thanks to Lew, his glass hasn't been empty all night.

“Nice running into you tonight, Eugene, it’s been fun.” Lew leans in to kiss him on the cheek.

“Yeah, it has been fun,” Eugene agrees with a smile and reddened cheeks.  He says goodbye to Dick and follows Babe and Spina out of the bar.

“Jesus Christ, Gene,” Spina says with an exasperated sigh once they get outside.

“What?”

Spina insists that Lewis Nixon is very interested in Eugene Roe, but Eugene isn't sure he believes that, much as he would like it to be true. And even if he did believe it, surely dating a patient breaks all sorts of rules.

“He was your patient for all of twenty minutes, Gene,” Spina says rolling his eyes, as Babe turns and runs back towards the bar.  Probably forgotten his phone or his wallet, Eugene muses.  Babe re-emerges a few minutes later with a stupidly wide grin plastered across his face. 

“What did you do, Heffron?”  Eugene asks suspiciously, when Babe catches up with them in the street outside.

“I gave him your number.” Babe replies nonchalantly, "he looked pretty happy about it so I guess we'll find out if he likes you soon enough." Babe smirks at Spina, who gives him a high five and laughs.


	3. Chapter 3

Lew tries to hide his disappointment as he watches Eugene follow his friends out of the bar. Dick is asking him if he wants one last drink before they call it a night when Eugene’s friend comes back in, asking Dick if he can borrow a pen. The man grabs a napkin and begins writing.

"Doc’s pretty shy,” he says, “but he’s worth getting to know.” Flashing Lew a huge grin, he hands over the napkin with a phone number scrawled on it. Eugene’s number. Lew smiles to himself and folds the napkin, tucking it into his pocket. He texts Eugene as soon as he gets home that evening, not caring if he looks too eager. Thanks to Eugene working back to back nightshifts for a week and Lew being sent on a trip for work, it’s almost two weeks later when they meet for dinner. Lew suggests _Perconte's,_  a family run Italian restaurant that has lots of good reviews online. It’s near to the hospital and Eugene knows it well, apparently his friend Heffron is a big fan of their pizzas and their spaghetti sauce is to die for.

Eugene is already there when Lew arrives; talking to one of the waiters he seems to be familiar with. The waiter - Frank - leads them to a table and takes their drink order. Eugene orders a coke, and Lew raises a quizzical eyebrow, having been impressed with how much the smaller man had drank the night they met in the bar. Eugene explains that he is working in the morning, “Doing a favour for Spina, he covered my weekend on-call last month so I could go home for _grand-mère’s_ birthday.”

Lew smiles at the obvious affection in Eugene’s tone when he mentions his grandmother and finds himself reaching across the table for Eugene’s hand, tracing circles on his palm and over the soft skin of his inner wrist. He half wishes they were sitting side by side, like they had been that night in the bar, because he just wants to be close to Eugene. He continues rubbing his thumb across Eugene's wrist for a few minutes before deciding he doesn't like the table between them and the distance it creates. He moves his chair and rearranges their cutlery and glasses so they are sitting beside each other, his leg pressing against Eugene's leg, his hand drifting down to rest on Eugene's knee.

They talk and eat their food, sharing stories about their work, friends and families. They barely notice when Frank comes to clear away their plates and offer Lew a dessert menu.

“The usual, Eugene?” he asks, without handing Eugene a menu.

Eugene blushes slightly and ducks his head, “Thank you, Frank.”

Lew smiles to himself, and thinks that watching Eugene blush might be one of his new favourite things. He doesn’t normally go for quieter, retiring types, he’s usually attracted to men of a rougher, tougher calibre.  Usually taller, more musclar men too, nothing like the small, finely built man sitting beside him. But there is something about Eugene with his serious expression and deep, soulful eyes that Lew can’t get enough of. And god, that accent is sexy as hell. 

Lew declines dessert, but he’s curious about what ‘the usual’ is.  Frank returns with another whisky for Lew and sets down a cup of black coffee and a slice of chocolate cake in front of Eugene.

“I’d offer to bring you a fork,” Frank says to Lew, “but he’ll probably stab you if you get too close to his cake.”

Eugene laughs quietly at that, and Lew thinks that  _this_ is his new favourite thing - watching Eugene smile, the corners of his mouth quirking up slightly, his eyes lighting up. Like everything else about the man, Lew thinks Eugene’s smile is understated and completely gorgeous. By the end of the evening, Lew decides that being the reason for Eugene’s smiles tops the list of his new favourite things.

They leave the restaurant and, like the gentleman his mother raised him to be, Lew walks Eugene home. He doesn't dwell on what his mother would have to say about him walking another man home after a first date. He knows it would be nothing good. He wonders how Eugene's family reacted when he came out to them. Hopefully better than the Nixon's reacted. He pushes the thoughts out of his mind, that's not a conversation for tonight.

He feels uncharacteristically nervous when they reach the front door of Eugene's apartment building. While Eugene searches through his pockets for his keys, Lew tries to get together the courage to kiss the man. Then Eugene surprises him by leaning in and pressing his lips to Lew's. It’s a sweet, tentative kiss and much too short for Lew's liking. After only a couple of seconds, Eugene breaks away, his dark eyes searching Lew’s, “Uh, is this okay?” he asks softly.

“Are you kidding me, Eugene?” Lew asks, kissing him again. He coaxes Eugene’s lips open with his tongue and explores the man’s mouth, tasting hints of rich coffee and sweet chocolate. He grabs the front of Eugene’s coat and pulls him in closer, deepening their kiss. Eugene responds by wrapping his arms around Lew and catching his bottom lip gently between his teeth. Lew sighs against Eugene’s mouth and his hand finds it's way into Eugene’s thick, dark hair, brushing through it and pulling gently against the longer strands.

They break apart, Lew smiling at the sight of Eugene’s messy hair, and rests his forehead against Eugene’s for a moment, “I should let you get inside,” he says, knowing Eugene has an early start in the morning and feeling a little regretful that their night is ending.

Eugene sighs and nods, but doesn’t move from where he is leaning against Lew, arms still wrapped around his waist.

“We’ll do this again,” Lew tells him, “if you’d like to.”

He’s blushing again, looking up at Lew through his thick, dark eyelashes, “Yeah, I’d like that,” he says with that endearing shy smile.


	4. Chapter 4

For their fourth date, Lewis tells Eugene he’ll cook dinner for him after Eugene’s shift at the hospital finishes.

Eugene is excited, but a little apprehensive.  This is the part where it usually goes wrong for him.  He’s learned in the past few years why so many doctors and nurses limit their dating pool to other medics.  They understand better than non-medics, that just because the rota says your shift ends at eight doesn’t give you any guarantee that you'll be leaving the hospital at that time.  Eugene likes Lew, more than he has allowed himself to like anyone in a long time, and he can’t help but worry that if he gets held up at the hospital tonight or has to cancel, Lew will be pissed. 

When he suggests they do it on a night when he isn’t working, when there isn’t a possibility of him being held up at work, Lew shrugs and tells Eugene to text him when he’s leaving the hospital and he’ll start dinner.  And if it doesn’t work out tonight, they can do it another night.

He still feels a little uncertain, wondering how Lew will react if he doesn't end up leaving the hospital until ten or eleven o'clock. But he decides to have some faith and believe that Lew means what he says. He feels incredibly lucky to have met this man who doesn’t mind when there is sometimes more than a week between their dates because Eugene is working a string of night shifts, who doesn’t mind when Eugene has to end nights out early because he has an early start in the morning and who seems like he would understand if Eugene stood him up because he got held up at the hospital.  As it turns out, he needn’t have worried.  Spina hears news of Gene’s hot date and makes sure he was out the door of the hospital a few minutes after eight that evening.

Lew hands him a drink and he leans against the kitchen island while Lew cooks. If Eugene was in anyway inclined to cook, which he's not - he has a talent for ruining non-stick pans, he imagines he would be envious of Lew's massive kitchen. It takes up the entire back half of the house, solid oak units and granite countertops. French doors lead out to a reasonable sized back yard with a patio and what looks to be a small vegetable patch.

"Been trying to grow some vegetables this year," Lew says when he notices Eugene looking, "herbs mostly, some tomatoes and managed a few raspberries too."

"You like gardening?" Eugene asks, Lew is proving himself to be full of surprises.

Lew shrugs in response, "Not really, Dick has the green fingers. He dug the beds and planted them, my job is to use the ingredients, apparently." He carries the plates over to the table that could easily seat eight people. One end is cluttered with papers, a laptop and various chargers, but Lew has set two places at the other end for them to sit, complete with a couple of candles.

Steaks with potatoes, vegetables and a peppercorn sauce he made from scratch.  Lew is a talented cook and Eugene is impressed.  They clear up and move to the living room where Lew has a fire lit.  He hands Eugene a glass of whisky and flicks on the television.  They sit of the sofa, perpendicular to each other, Eugene’s legs stretched across Lew’s lap.  Lew wraps a hand around Eugene’s socked feet and half pays attention to the news as they chat.  Eugene feels himself begin to relax as the whisky warms his insides and Lew absent-mindedly traces circles on his leg with his fingers.  He slides down on the sofa and feels his eyes start to close as the tiredness from the day’s long shift begins to catch up with him.

 

* * *

 

He wakes, disorientated and warm with something large and furry sitting on his chest.  He opens his eyes, squinting against the morning light coming in through the curtains to see a big, ginger tabby cat sitting on his chest.  It takes him a moment to work out where he is. He realises, mortified, that he’s in Lew’s living room, on the sofa with a thick, patchwork blanket draped over him.  He must have fallen asleep after dinner last night.

He gives the cat a scratch behind the ears, smiling when he starts to purr loudly and pushes his head into Eugene's hand.  He’s about to get up when the door opens and Lew walks in, looking gorgeous in a suit, a leather messenger style bag over his shoulder.

“Morning,” he says, smiling at Eugene, “I see you’ve met Hamish,” he nods in the direction of the cat.

“Yeah,” Eugene manages to croak, voice hoarse, “Lew, I’m sorry about last night, I fell asleep,” he explains unnecessarily as he gets to his feet.

“Don’t worry about it, I tried to waken you but you were out cold. Must have needed it,” Lew says, grabbing his keys out of the bowl on the side table. “I’ve gotta get to work.  There’s fresh coffee brewed, help yourself.” He leans to kiss Eugene, “And you don’t need to rush off.”

Eugene watches Lew leave and then makes his way to the kitchen where he pours himself a mug of coffee and sits down at the table.  Hamish follows him, meowing and brushing against his legs, looking for attention. Eugene scratches the big cat’s ears absently as he lifts his phone to text Lew.

_"I’m sorry for last night.  Let me make it up to you? x”_

_“As long as it had nothing to do with my company! Don’t worry about it, you look cute when you’re sleeping. How do you plan on making it up to me? X”_

_“Nothing to do with your company.  Dinner?  Saturday evening? x”_

_“It’s a date. X”_


	5. Chapter 5

They are in Lew’s house one cold and snowy Saturday before Christmas.  They had gone out for brunch earlier, celebrating Eugene having an entire weekend off work, and walked around the local Christmas markets for a while.  When it started to snow and Eugene began to shiver, they headed home planning to spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing, maybe watching a movie or reading in front of the fire.

Lew pulls Eugene into his lap, Eugene’s jeaned knees resting on either side of Lew’s thighs.  They kiss and Lew wraps his arms around Eugene, holding him close.  He likes how Eugene feels small in his arms.  Lew is hard, turned on by the dark haired man in his lap making soft noises of pleasure as they kiss.  When he pulls Eugene down against his chest, he can feel that Eugene is aroused too.  Lew whines as Eugene’s lips stray down to his neck and he noses aside the fabric of Lew’s shirt to suck and kiss at his collar bone.

Lew tentatively pushes up with his hips, carefully gauging Eugene’s reaction.  He had got the impression early on that sex isn’t something Eugene gets into lightly, and so he had resolved to let the other man set the pace.  He feels his resolve slipping when Eugene buries his face into Lew’s shoulder and hums softly as he pushes his hips down on to Lew. 

Lew reaches for the hem of Eugene’s grey sweater and pulls it up over his head and then begins unbuttoning Eugene’s shirt. “Jesus Christ, Eugene.  How many layers do you need?” he asks when he finds Eugene has a tee-shirt on under his shirt.

“It’s cold out there!” Eugene protests as he works at the buttons of Lew’s shirt, pushing the fabric down off Lew’s shoulders.  He immediately goes back to kissing and sucking at the skin around Lew’s collarbone while Lew takes his time running his hands over the pale skin and wiry muscle of Eugene’s shoulders and chest.

They find a rhythm, Lew pressing up with his hips and Eugene pushing back down, their dicks grinding together through the fabric of their jeans.

“Jesus Christ, Lew.”

“You okay?” Lew whispers against his ear, praying that Eugene says yes because now that he’s here, grinding his hard dick against Eugene, he’s not sure he’ll be able to stop.  Eugene moans and Lew feels Eugene’s cool hands at the fly of his jeans. He takes that as a _yes._

“Stand up,” Eugene murmurs, climbing off Lew’s lap and pulling him to his feet.  Lew smirks at Eugene giving him orders, quite honestly, it's a turn-on. They take off their jeans and underwear and Lew pushes Eugene down and straddles his waist.  Lew’s breath catches in his throat as his eye’s rove over Eugene’s naked body beneath him.

 “What?” Eugene asks, shyly.

“Nothing,” Lew replies, he voice rough, “just trying to decide if I want to suck you off or fuck you.”

At that, Eugene blushes and laughs nervously.

“Any preference?” Lew asks him with a smirk.

Eugene shakes his head mutely, too shocked to respond properly.

“Both then,” Lew says with a grin and he kisses a trail down Eugene’s chest and stomach until he takes Eugene in his mouth.

“Fuck, Lew.” Eugene exclaims breathlessly as he pushes up with his hips.  Lew takes his time, enjoying every minute of Eugene moaning and writhing beneath him.

“Lew,” Eugene says his name like a warning. Lew doesn’t care, he’d be happy for Eugene to come straight down his throat.  But Eugene pulls and tugs at him until he has no choice but to release Eugene’s dick from his mouth.  “I don’t wanna come yet,” Eugene says, wiping away a trail of moisture from Lew’s lips.

They kiss and touch and grind against each other some more until Lew gentles Eugene over onto his stomach.  After taking the time to open him up using his fingers and plenty of lub, Lew pulls him on to his knees and slowly pushes inside him.  He’s so tight that Lew can’t help groaning.  Eugene gasps and whines as he gets used to the sensation of Lew inside him.  They pick up a rhythm, slow and gentle at first and then more vigorous.  Eugene pushes back with his hips to meet Lew's thrusts and even though Lew wants this to last forever, he knows he's going to come soon. He wants Eugene to get there first and reaches around and takes Eugene’s hard dick in his hand. Eugene whines when Lew wraps his hand around him, "Fuck, Lew," he practically hisses as he comes over Lew's hand. A couple more thrusts and Lew comes too, he collapses on top of Eugene and spends a few minutes kissing and licking the soft skin of Eugene's neck and shoulders before rolling to the side and gathering the smaller man in his arms.

They lie together in a tangle of limbs and Lew pulls a blanket over them.  Eugene drifts off to sleep as Lew watches the falling snow through the window.  Then, he falls asleep too, only to be woken by the sound of his phone ringing.  It was Speirs.  They had arranged a while ago for him, Lipton and Dick to come over for dinner and some drinks tonight. When it happened to coincide with Eugene’s weekend off work, Lew had been looking forward to introducing Eugene to his friends.

“We still on for tonight?”  Speirs asks in a way that is so typically _Speirs,_ no small talk, just straight to the point.

“Yeah, of course.”  Lew replies, rubbing his eyes, “but do me a favour and bring food with you, I got a bit distracted this afternoon,” he says, looking at the man lying beside him.

“Indian okay.”  It’s a statement rather than a question.

“Sounds good,” Lew answers.

“See you around seven.”

Lew stretches out and tells Eugene the others will be arriving around seven with food.  Eugene grunts and burrows further down under the blanket.

“I’m gonna go get showered,” Lew tells him, planting a kiss somewhere on the mass of messy black hair that is protruding above the blanket.

“Stay,” Eugene says, tugging at Lew.

"You really want my friends to arrive and find us lying here naked?"

“No, but we’ll have more time to lie here if we shower together.”  There is a glint in his eye, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips and Lew allows himself to be pulled back down against Eugene’s body.

Half an hour later he manages to untangle Eugene from the blanket and shove him gently in the direction of the bathroom.  He notices the man wince slightly as he walks and reaches for Eugene’s wrist, “You okay?  Did I hurt you?” he asks, studying Eugene’s face. He didn't think he'd been too rough, but it had been hard not to get carried away.

“No,” Eugene replies, giving his arm a reassuring squeeze.  “It’s just…” he trails off, looking down as a blush creeps into his cheeks, “been a while, you know?”

 _God, this man is amazing_ , Lew thinks as he follows him to the shower.


	6. Chapter 6

It’s a damp, grey Thursday night at end of January, Lipton’s birthday and Eugene is running late for the celebration dinner Lipton insisted he was invited to.  He hurries out of the hospital and down the street towards the restaurant, which is mercifully only a ten minute walk.  He’s almost there when his phone buzzes in his pocket.  An email.  He opens it and after reading it three or four times in disbelief, a grin spreads across his face, as a pleasant, warm feeling fills his body.  It doesn't last long, the euphoric feeling drains away as he realises he will need to have a difficult conversation with Lew later.  _Shit._

He is quiet and distracted all evening, Lipton is sitting on his left and Dick is opposite him.  Eugene likes them both and doesn't want them to think he's rude or uninterested so he tries to focus on their conversation, he tries to join in.  Lew is sitting on his right, mainly talking to Speirs and Harry, his hand resting on Eugene's leg, tracing circles with his fingertips, giving him the occasional concerned look.  Lew knows him well enough now to know he is preoccupied and nervous about something.

“I’ve been offered a fellowship,” he says, when they are back in Lew's house, alone, “at Tulane Medical Center.”

“Tulane?” Lew repeats, as his brow furrows slightly, “That’s in – “

“New Orleans,” Eugene finishes quietly, chewing on his lip.

Lew’s disappointment is palpable.  What follows is a very candid conversation where Lew expresses his delight at Eugene’s news and his regret that Eugene will be leaving.  He never once suggests, or even hints, that Eugene shouldn’t accept the offer, even though the hospital where Eugene works here in New Jersey has also offered him a fellowship.  But he tells Eugene he can't do a long distance relationship, he explains that he’d tried before, when he lived in Europe for a few years and it ended badly.  Eugene understands, he doesn't think he could cope with a long distance relationship either.  He tells Lew he hasn’t entirely made up his mind about what to do but that he has always planned to return to Louisiana when the opportunity arose.

Eugene’s news changes the mood of their evening.  They quietly watch some television and head to bed.  Eugene can’t sleep; he lies awake, staring at the ceiling waiting for morning to come.

“Eugene?”  Lew whispers, “you awake?”

“Yeah,” he answers, turning towards Lew.

“When do you have to decide if you’re taking it?”

“I've gotta call them on Monday,” Eugene answers.

He feels Lew nod his head beside him, “that’s good,” he says, almost to himself.  Then, after a couple of long seconds he speaks again, “Eugene?”

“Yeah, Lew?”

“Promise me you’ll tell me when you’ve decided?  Don’t keep me hanging on?  Please?” 

Eugene is taken aback by how quiet and vulnerable Lew sounds. For being one of the most charming, inteligent and attractive people Eugene has ever known, Lew's self esteem can be surprisingly low. Even though his friends love him and care about him, and he is liked by almost everyone, he always seems to be waiting for people to abandon him. Eugene suspects it has a lot to do with his parents disowning and disinheriting him when he came out to them. And more than anything, Eugene hates that he is now the reason for Lew feeling like this.

“I promise,” he whispers, wishing he could say more to reassure Lew, his voice catching as he reaches to touch Lew’s hand. Lew grips Eugene's hand tightly and turns towards Eugene to kiss him. They kiss and hold tightly to each other, neither speaking. Kissing turns to touching and soon they are both naked. It feels different somehow, it's tenative, like it's the first time, and it's sad, like it's the last time. It feels like the goodbye neither of them want to say.

Eugene isn’t sure if either of them sleep that night.  He certainly doesn’t.  He lies awake most of the night, thinking of how he doesn’t want to give up the amazing man who is lying beside him but also thinking how crazy he would be to turn down a fellowship where he would be working with and learning from some of the best doctors in the country.  Not to mention he’d be closer to his family, his mum and sisters, his little nieces who he only gets to see a few times a year. And grand-mère. Then there is the weather, the never ending summer, watching the beautiful sunsets over the bayou, his mother’s cooking.  There’s a lot about Louisiana he misses.  And when he applied to Tulane, months ago, he never imagined they would even offer him a fellowship, much less imagined that he would dare to hesitate over accepting their offer. But there’s a lot he loves about New Jersey too.  Maybe not the cold, miserable winters, but he loves the man lying beside him, and he has friends here – Heffron, Renee, Spina, even Lew’s friends have slowly started to feel like his friends.

 

* * *

 

 

The next evening, Eugene is in Babe's apartment.  They share a pizza and are half watching a comedy Babe has probably seen a million times before.

“I got offered a fellowship,” Eugene says suddenly.

“Hey, that’s great, Gene!  Congratulations!”  Babe reaches for the remote and turns the volume down, turning on the sofa to look at Eugene.  Eugene can’t help but smile at how obviously pleased friend is for him.

“At Tulane.  In Louisiana.”

The change in Babe’s expression is so subtle and so brief, Eugene almost doesn’t catch it, but he does, and it makes his heart ache a little.  He would never have imagined that he and Babe would become such good friends when they first met, the outgoing red-head from Philly and Eugene are polar opposites in almost every way.  But Eugene has never met anyone as kind and loyal as Edward Heffron.  Babe has been there for Eugene through some of the toughest moments of the last few years, as Eugene has been there for Babe too.  He suddenly realises how much he’ll miss Babe and how much he took it for granted that his best friend would always be close by.

“That’s great, closer to home.” Babe says, appearing to recover quickly from his disappointment at Eugene’s news, “that’s what you wanted, right?”  he adds, frowning slightly, obviously confused by Eugene’s lack of enthusiasm.

It _was_ what he had wanted.  Now he isn’t so sure.

“Yeah, it is.  I mean, I think it is.  I don’t know.”

Heffron looks at him for a moment, “Make a list,” he says, matter-of-factly

“Make a list? “  Eugene repeats, quirking an eyebrow.

“Yeah, you know, the pros and cons.  The reasons to stay and the reasons to go.”

Eugene shakes his head and smiles, “that how you make all your decisions, Heffron?”

“Pretty much,” Babe replies with a grin as he reaches for another slice of pizza.

Sometimes Eugene wishes he could see the word the way Babe sees it: simple and uncomplicated, and with little worth worrying about.  But maybe his friend has a point, Eugene thinks to himself as they turn their attention back to the movie and Eugene begins constructing his list in his head. There's no question that Babe is high on the list of reasons to stay in New Jersey.


	7. Chapter 7

Lew balances the containers of food in one hand and knocks the door of Eugene’s apartment with the other and thinks to himself that this probably isn’t one of his better ideas. The guy had just worked a 48 hour shift according to Babe, he will be sleeping. By sheer co-incidence, he’d run into Babe that morning in a coffee shop neither of them frequent. Babe told him Eugene had been called into work late on Friday evening after the pile up on the freeway that had made the local news channels. He’d finally left the hospital this morning, after working non-stop for over 48 hours and losing a couple of patients. Lew felt awful. He thought Eugene had been avoiding him, that despite his promises, he’d decided to go back to Louisiana and couldn’t face telling Lew. And he hates thinking that Eugene has had a difficult few days. He’s learned over the last few months that Eugene is an excellent doctor, who cares a great deal about his patients and every loss hits him hard. Lew didn’t get much work done this morning and shortly before lunchtime, he told Dick he was heading out for a while. He picked up some food and drove to Eugene’s apartment.

He’s about to turn away when Eugene appears at the door. He looks surprised to see Lew standing there and squints in the sunlight.

“I ran into Babe earlier, he said you’d had a rough couple of days. I thought I’d bring you lunch,” Lew explains.

Eugene smiles that bewildered smile and steps back to let Lew into the apartment.

Lew takes in Eugene’s tired, red eyes and messy hair, pyjama pants and oddly, a Harvard hoodie, which confuses Lew, because he knows Eugene went to Stanford. The confusion must show on his face.

“It’s not mine,” Eugene says, “I mean, I guess it is now… but it wasn’t.” He brushes his hand through his hair in that way Lew has seen him do when he is feeling anxious or uncomfortable, and Lew realises that Eugene had commandeered the hoodie from an ex-boyfriend at some point.

“This can go in the fridge for later if you want to get back to bed,” Lew says, gesturing to the containers in his hands and tactfully changing the subject from the origins of the hoodie. “There’s a slice of chocolate cake from Perconte’s too.”

“I can’t really sleep,” Eugene says, “I could use some company for a bit.” He hesitates, “unless you have to get back to work?”

Lew shakes his head, “I’ve got some time.”

They sit at the little table and eat the soup and fresh rolls Lew brought. Lew has only been in Eugene’s apartment a handful of times and never really had the opportunity to look around before. The apartment is small, but it’s bright and airy, an open plan living area and kitchen with an array of house plants and cactuses in the corners and on windowsills. There is an old, leather sofa and a wooden rocking chair in the living area and an old trunk which serves as a coffee table. There are shelves lining one of the walls, filled with books and journal articles and magazines. There are lots of photographs, some in frames, sitting on the shelves among the books and other things, some stuck up on the fridge door with magnets, amongst some postcards and a kid’s painting. One of his neices, maybe, Lew thinks. The whole place has a lived in look about it that Lew loves, shoes kicked off by the door, coats lying over the arm of the sofa, an empty coffee mug and a half-finished book sit on the little side table. It's not so untidy that it's unappealing, but enough to feel lived in and welcoming.

While they eat, Eugene tells him about one of the families involved in the pile-up. The mother is still alive, in ICU hooked up to a whole array of machines. When she wakes up – if she wakes up - she’ll learn that her husband, daughter and two sons are dead. Lew can’t imagine what it has been like for Eugene, he worked on the mother when she came in, had to declare the little girl dead and held the younger boy in his arms as he died from severe head injuries. Four other people died, and at least seven are in a critical condition. Lew thinks back to the last time Eugene lost a patient, how he came to Lew’s house after his shift finished and how Lew had held him tightly as they sat together on the sofa and later, when they crawled into bed how Eugene had lay the entire night with his head resting over Lew's heart, his fingers tangled in the fabric of Lew's teeshirt. He looks at the man sitting opposite him who looks so young and tired and defeated and wishes he could make it better for him.

“Thanks for lunch, Lew.” Eugene says as he walks Lew to the door, his lips quirked up slightly in that endearing smile of his.

“You’re welcome,” Lew replies, he wants to hug him. “You should try to get some rest.”

He pulls Eugene in for a hug anyway, because he wants to savour the feeling of Eugene Roe in his arms. God, he has fallen for the man. He huffs out a small laugh and looks down as they pull away from each other.

“What?” asks Eugene.

He shakes his head, “Nothing,”

Eugene looks at him, his eyebrows drawn together in a curious frown.

“I know it’s not fair to say this to you,” Lew says, “but I wish you weren’t leaving, Eugene.”


	8. Chapter 8

Eugene goes back to bed and tries to sleep.  His mind is in overdrive, thinking of the patients he lost over the weekend.  He phones the hospital and asks one of the ICU nurses for an update on the mother.  There’s been no change.  He thinks of Lew, bringing him lunch, listening to him, just _being_ there.   He thinks of Spina and Babe and Renee – his friends, who look out for him and who have all checked in with him today to ask how he’s doing.  Even Heffron's room mate, Bill, had left a voicemail over the weekend to say he'd heard about the pile up and guessed Eugene had been caught up with it at the hospital, _'Well, lemme know if ya need anything, Doc',_ he'd said before ending the call. Eugene doesn't even know Bill all that well but he doesn't doubt his sincerity. And Lew's friend, Speirs, a firefighter who had been called to the scene of the accident and then accompanied one of his men to the hospital to get checked out, sought Eugene out in the ER to ask how he was holding up. Not that Eugene had had any time to talk to him but he appreciated the gesture.

Then he thinks of his family, of home and the Louisiana sunshine.  He lifts his phone and calls Tulane.  Then he texts Lew.

_“You free later?  Can we talk? x”_

Lew turns up shortly after seven that evening. After managing a couple of hours sleep, Eugene is in the shower when he arrives.  Lew lets himself in and slouches against the door frame of the bedroom, looking entirely too gorgeous, but there's something small and vulnerable in the way he's carrying himself and Eugene knows it's his fault. He quickly pulls on a pair of jeans and dries his hair roughly with a towel.  He can feel himself blushing at the way Lew is looking at him, barely concealing his lust as his eyes wander over Eugene’s bare chest and down to where his jeans hang low on his hips.  Eugene rummages in the closet and finds an olive green sweater and pulls it on, wondering if he imagined the faint look of disappointment on Lew’s face.

“So, what’s up?” Lew asks, as they sit together on the sofa in Eugene’s living room. Lew has put some distance between them, which is unlike him. He normally sits as close to Eugene as he possibly can, always wanting to be touching him. 

Eugene pulls his legs up and wraps his arm around them, suddenly feeling very unsure of himself.  “Um, I called Tulane this afternoon, not long after you left.” He picks at a loose thread at the knee of his jeans and cautiously watches Lew.

Lew gives him a sad sort of smile, “I’m happy for you, Eugene, you’ll be great.”

“No,” Eugene shakes his head, “I -I’m not going.  I told them I was staying here.”

“Seriously?” Lew asks, eyebrows quirked in disbelief. 

“Yeah, seriously," Eugene says, unable to stop the grin spreading across his face at Lew's obvious delight.

Lew leans across the sofa to kiss him.   “That’s the best news, Eugene.” he laughs as he pulls Eugene into his lap.  They kiss, and Eugene feels a pleasant heat build low in his stomach.

“We should celebrate,” Lew murmurs against Eugene’s lips.

“Mmm, what do you have in mind?”

Lew slides his hands down from Eugene’s hips and rests them at the top of his thighs, rubbing firm circles with his thumbs before ghosting a hand far too lightly over Eugene's crotch. Eugene feels Lew smile against his mouth when he finds Eugene is already hard from them kissing.

“Sounds good,” Eugene murmurs.

“Mmm,” Lew responds, “but I need to eat first.”  He grins, pushing Eugene off his lap and stretching as he stands up.

Eugene lets out a frustrated whine, “You’re such a tease, Lew.”

Lew gives Eugene one of his most charming smiles, the sort of smile Eugene can’t resist and wanders into the kitchen to begin looking through the fridge and cupboards.

“What the hell, Eugene!  There’s nothing here to even _try_ to make a meal with!”

“Yeah, haven’t been to the store in a while,” he says a little sheepishly.  There’s a couple of boxes of cereal in the cupboard, half a block of cheese he wouldn’t exactly trust, some milk along with half a dozen bars of chocolate, courtesy of Renee, in the fridge.

Lew rolls his eyes, “Come on,” he says, grabbing his keys and heading to the door.  Lew drives to the grocery store where Eugene picks up some essentials and Lew grabs ingredients for dinner.

“Oh, I almost forgot.” Lew says when they are back in the car, bags of groceries safely in the trunk.  He reaches into the backseat and tosses a bag into Eugene’s lap.

“What’s this?”  Eugene asks, looking in the bag and pulling out a grey hoodie with _Yale_ across the front.

“You can get rid of that other one,” Lew said with a grin.

Eugene smiles and brings the hoodie to his face, breathing in deeply.  The fabric is soft and worn and smells of Lew, like expensive cologne, warm and rich and earthy.  It’s a subtle smell, not in any way strong or overpowering, but it’s distinct and Eugene thinks he’ll never tire of smelling that smell that is just so inherently Lewis Nixon.

Lew makes a stir fry for dinner, and Eugene is impressed by his ability to use several pots and pans in the process.  When they finish eating, Lew asks him why he changed his mind about going back to Louisiana.

Lew listens patiently as Eugene stutters and stumbles through an explanation about how he never felt like he belonged anywhere apart from with his family in Louisiana, he’s always found it difficult to make friends and no matter where he is and who he is with, he always feels like an outsider.  Until recently, when he realised he has friends here in New Jersey, friends he cares about and who care about him.  He has a job he loves, teachers and mentors who encourage him to become a better doctor. He has made a life here, and even though he still misses home, he likes his life in New Jersey. 

He looks up to find Lew watching him and he huffs out a small laugh, “And there’s a guy.”

“Oh yeah?” Lew says, with a smirk, as they start to clear their dishes away, “what about him?”

“He’s a really good cook, thought I’d stay around for the food.”

Lew laughs and swats him with a tea towel, then pulls him in for a kiss.  “I’m really glad you’re staying Eugene.”

“Me too,”  Eugene says, “I love you, Lew.”

“I love you, too.” 


	9. Chapter 9

It has happened gradually, but in recent months Eugene has been spending more and more time at Lew’s house. He stays most nights, only returning to his own apartment to grab clean clothes or other essentials, or occasionally to sleep after a particularly long shift since his apartment is closer to the hospital.  The last few days, Eugene has been visiting his family in Louisiana and when Lew collected him from the airport this afternoon, there was no question about Eugene coming  straight back to Lew’s house instead of to his own place.  Lew missed Eugene when he was gone, and he realised how much he loves Eugene being in his house.  He loves coming home from work in the evenings to find Eugene curled on the sofa, dosing or reading, with Hamish in his lap. 

Some evenings, Eugene will join him, Spiers and Lipton for a card game and a few drinks.  He gets on well with Lew’s friends, especially Dick, and that’s important to Lew. It’s something that was always missing in his previous relationships.  It’s been a little over a year since they first met, but Eugene has effortlessly slid into every part of Lew’s life like he’s never been anywhere else.  And Lew doesn’t want him to ever be anywhere else.  He loves seeing Eugene’s shoes in the hallway and his coat hung over the bannister.  He loves that his entire house now has a faint dusting of _Eugene Roe_ clutter - clothes, books, half-finished mugs of coffee, his fridge half full of chocolate bars.  For someone so quiet and unassuming, who gives the impression that he always has his shit together, Lew loves this slightly chaotic side to Eugene.  And he loves that he's one of the few people who get to see it. 

Most evenings, when neither of them are working, Lew makes dinner and afterwards, they sit together reading or watching some television.  They've been watching _The Sopranos_ recently, just started season three, although Lew doesn't think Eugene has made it through an entire episode so far.  After a long day on his feet, he usually lasts about twenty minutes before falling asleep on the sofa.  Some nights, Lew pulls Eugene towards him to rest his head on Lew’s lap and he drapes an arm around Eugene’s shoulder as he continues watching television. Other times, Lew wakes him and sends him to bed.  It amuses Lew that Eugene can barely stay awake past ten o’clock when he’s not working but is up with the sun regardless of how much sleep he has had.  Lew, on the other hand, could stay awake all night long and feels it is indecent to get out of bed before noon.

Tonight, Eugene barely makes it through the opening credits of the movie before his eyes start to close.  Lew wants to pull him closer and feel the weight of his warm body resting against him as he watches the movie.  But he knows Eugene is tired from traveling and from four days of playing with his energetic nieces, so he gives Eugene's shoulder a squeeze and tells him to get himself off to bed.  

It’s after midnight when the movie finishes.  Lew locks up before heading upstairs, rolling his eyes when he trips over Eugene’s converse and backpack, discarded at the bottom of the stairs. 

Lew smiles when he come into the bedroom and finds Eugene, lying on his stomach, sprawled diagonally across the bed in a tangle of sheets and taking up more room than a man his size has any right to.  Hamish is curled up at his feet.  The big ginger cat has taken a liking to Eugene, sitting on his lap, purring for him, seeking him out to be petted and scratched.  In Lew's mind, Hamish is no longer Dick's cat; he is Eugene's cat now.  Although Dick would argue that Hamish was never his cat in the first place.

Eugene stirs as Lew climbs into bed beside him and tucks himself against Lew’s chest, murmuring softly.  Hamish gives Lew a disdainful look at having been disturbed and makes a show of resettling himself at the bottom of the bed.

“Mhmm,” Gene mumbles as Lew presses a kiss into his hair.  The smaller man throws an arm around Lew and reaches up to catch his lips in a soft, sleepy kiss.

“You awake?”  Lew whispers.

“No,” comes the sleepy reply.

Lew can’t help but laugh.

“What are you laughing at?”

"Nothing," Lew says, petting through Eugene’s hair, “You’re getting long here,” he says as he slides his fingers through Eugene’s thick, dark hair.

"Mhmm, that's what  _grand-mère_ said, Told me it needs cut."

“Don’t do anything too crazy,” Lew says with an affectionate smile.  He loves Eugene’s hair, loves that is thick and untameable, sticking out in tufts and curling around his ears no matter what he tries to do with it.

“I told her you like it, she said she’d have a word with you next time you come down, try to talk some sense into you,”  Eugene mumbles, his breath warm against Lew’s skin.

“I’d like that,” Lew says, kissing Eugene softly.

“You’d like a long speech from _grand-mère_ about the length of my hair?”  Eugene asks, quirking an eyebrows slightly, his eyes still closed.

“No,” Lew laughs, “I’d like to see her again.” Lew had travelled down to Louisiana with Eugene before the summer and met the entire Roe family.  Eugene’s parents, his sisters and brothers-in-law and his five little nieces, who clearly adore their Uncle Eugene.  He’d met _grand-mère_ too and had immediately fallen in love with the cheerful and witty matriarch of the family, who couldn’t be prouder of her only grandson if she tried.  Eugene’s entire family were warm and welcoming and Lew soon felt at home with them.  They accepted him in a way he knew his own family would never accept and welcome Eugene.  _‘Their loss,’_ Lipton would say, but it still hurts.  Issues at work meant Lew wasn’t able to get time off to join Eugene on his most recent visit and he had found himself feeling disappointed.

“Next time,”  Eugene promises, as though reading Lew's mind.

“I missed you.  I like you being here,” Lew says, brushing his lips over Eugene’s.

“I like it too,” Eugene replies with a slight smile, eyes still closed.

“Maybe we should make it a more permanent thing?”  Lew whispers, pressing a kiss to Eugene’s forehead.

Eugene’s eyes fly open and he looks at Lew.

“Seriously?”  he asks.  His expression is unreadable in the dark and for a moment, Lew regrets saying anything.  He wonders if he has pushed too far.

“Yeah, I mean… think about it.  You don’t have to answer right now, just… think about it.”

Eugene smiles, “The lease on my place is up next month, so…”

It’s Lew’s turn to look stunned, “Seriously?”

“Yeah, think about it.” Eugene replies as he rolls over so he’s on top of Lew. Eugene shifts so he is supporting his weight on his elbows and leans to kiss Lew.  It’s a soft, gentle and completely thorough kiss and Lew feels heat build low in his stomach.  He presses into the small of Eugene’s back, forcing the man to lie down against him.  He grins when he feels Eugene’s half hard dick pressing into his thigh.

“I thought you were tired,” Lew says, teasingly.

“Shhh,” Eugene replies.


End file.
